Fair And Square
by Moonbay
Summary: An AndouxMao fanfic. NEW Chapter is up! R&R please! Thank you!
1. CH I: A Morning Breeze

Author: I have always been a fan of Andou Takumi and Sugimoto Mao despite what people may say. So, I decided to make a fanfic involving the two. Enjoy follow TakumixMao fans! ^^

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Strobe Edge. All credits belong to Sakisaka Io-san and the publishers

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~

Chapter I: A Cold Morning Breeze

Inside the noisy halls of this school, bustling students chatter away without a care in life. Not too long ago, my name was whispered in a hush-hush tone by the same students.

"Did you hear what Sugimoto-san did?" "How shameless! Poor Andou!"

In no way am I playing the part of the victim here. They were right to talk about what I had done. I, Sugimoto Mao, had it all back in middle school. A great set of friends. Good grades. Cutest clothes. Almost everything every girl our age has ever wanted. ALMOST. Except for one thing.

Ichinose-sempai.

Ichinose Ren. I remember back in those days his very name send shivers down my spine. There was no way though that he is to return my feelings. He was perfect in every way, almost like me. He had good grades. He has a very good relationship with his best friend, Andou Takumi-kun.

Every girl admired him and I'm not immune to his charms either. Before I knew it, my eyes always followed him, stealing glances towards him during P.E., the only class we shared. He was tall, a lot taller than me. His broad shoulders made him seem so mature. His hair was always neat, his bangs softly rested against his forehead, sometimes hiding his sharp, brown eyes that always seemed so stern yet caring at the same time.

I loved him. Loved him enough to commit such a heinous act. To go out with his bestfriend in order to get the chance to get close to him and catch his eyes. To use another human being's earnest feelings just for a chance to be something more than just Sugimoto Mao, just another one of the hordes of girls who admired him. I wanted him to see me - to look at the me that longed for his affections. At the time, that was all that mattered, everything else were just steps to reach that ultimate goal.

I leaned against the frame of the open window in the hallway. This area is usually secluded since it's by the back stair way which is barely used by students or teachers. The chatters were far away now so I can finally hear my own thoughts. I looked out below by the school garden. I remember Takumi-kun had asked me out in a hidden area in our middle school's garden...

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~

_"I have always looked at you, Mao. Will you go out with me?"_ were his words. At the time, I felt numb - unmoved.

Andou Takumi has always been friendly with all the girls in school. If they weren't talking about how hot Ichinose-sempai is, they're talking about how hot Andou-sempai is. My eyes were half way closed, my long eyelashes brushed against my dark hair as I looked up to meet his gaze. He was looking at me but not with his usual goofy grin - No, he looked very serious.

He took my hand, enveloping it in his as he placed it against his chest before continuing,_ "I'm serious, I really like you."_

Though our eyes steadily looked at each other, I still felt nothing. No anticipation, no excitement, just... empty. Then a small thought jolted through my body as an image of Ichinose-senpai appeared in my mind. That thought - that small possibility of being noticed by him if I were to pretend I'm interested in Andou brought so many emotions all at once that I felt like the very air is being choked out of me. I couldn't breathe. My fingers twitched as I allowed my small, pink lips part as a response escaped from them._ "Sure. I'll go out with you... Andou-senpai."_

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~

My eyes drifted to the side as I hear people approaching. I hear a group of familiar voices as their laughter echoed through the hall.

It was Kinoshita-senpai and her group of friends. Following them not to far behind were the boys from her class, one of them standing out from the rest. It was Takumi-kun. He was smiling and laughing along with the group til he spotted me. His smile quickly turn sour as our gaze met. I turned away, the black strands of my hair swaying as a light, cold breeze entered through the open window.

I hear footsteps approaching me but I kept my gaze outside, allowing my features to appear nonchalant.

"What are you doing here?" I heard Takumi say as he leaned his back against the wall close to the window. My gaze drifted to the side to catch a glimpse of him glaring at me.

"Didn't I tell you that I was coming for you?" That caused him to look at me and to his surprise, he saw me looking at him as well.

His blonde hair that framed his face swayed a bit as the breeze picked up once more. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, that just because he didn't turn me down when I said told him "I'm coming at you, fair and square." when Kinoshita-sempai left him to confess to Ichinose-sempai did not mean that he's going to start treating me nicely. I did still hurt him after all. I can't blame him for having his guard up at all times when I'm around.

"Don't worry," I finally said, closing my eyes as I let out a small sigh. "I just wanted to see your face." I allowed myself to smile a genuine smile before taking my leave.

I wondered what kind of face he had on as I walked away but I fought to the best of my abilities not to turn to look at him. After all, I knew that though he appears to be okay, he still had feelings for Kinoshita-sempai so I'll take my time. I'll take my time and win him back fair and square as promised.

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~


	2. CH II: Out of Sight But NOT Out of Mind

Chapter II: Out of Sight but NOT Out of Mind

As Ichinose Ren entered the corridor, he saw two figures of a male and female student across the hall. He paused on his tracks for a moment as he recognized the two. He watched as Sugimoto Mao's figure disappeared down the stair well on the opposite side. Ren's eyes drifted over at Andou who's eyes also followed the girl as she took her leave. Takumi's slender frame was leaning against the window window in a slouched manner as Ren casually approached him, breaking the silence with a simple question, "What did she want?"

Andou to turn his attention to his friend, his expression turning sour to the realization of the company that have joined him. Throwing both hands behind his head as he turned his back to Ren, replying, "Who knows..." as he walked passed Ren, making his way back to their classroom.

Ren looked at the back of Andou's head before following him. "Be careful, Andou." He said almost mirroring what Andou had told him when they had both realized that Mao had also enrolled in their school.

"Shut up! I know that already. And don't go repeating my words back at me!" Andou snapped back at him. He knew that Ren was only concerned about him but knowing that didn't make him feel good one bit. He knew knew exactly what Ren meant but he didn't need nor want his concern. Somehow, it makes him feel more like a loser.

The two remained quiet til they reached the classroom. Andou's expression changed almost instantly as he slid open the classroom doors. "Ohayou, minna~!" He greeted his classmates out loud, waving a hand over his head. He was the usual cheerful guy who got along with everyone in class but underneath it all, he can actually be a very introspective person - A quality only one person knows about, Ichinose Ren.

... And it bothers the hell out Andou.

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~

The bell rang, causing the students to disperse from their groups to take their seats. The teacher entered the classroom as the rest of the student body sat quietly, awaiting the roll call. Looking down on the attendance sheet, he began with the first name listed. "Andou."

"Yo, sensei. What's up?" Takumi replied, flashing a grin at him.

"Just say 'present' will you?"

That little bit caused laughter amongst the students. He had always played the comedian and enjoyed making people laugh, specially when he himself is in a predicament. As class began, Andou's attention drifted elsewhere, his eyes gazed out the open window beside him. His chin rested lightly against his palm, his eyes half-closed, almost disappearing behind the blonde strands of hair that framed his face. As his thoughts brought him back to that time after the relay race, the voices around him began to slip further and further away.

That day seemed like it a burned into his memory. Saying he hasn't thought about it every night as he laid in bed, staring at the ceiling would be a blatant lie. He could see Mao's crying face so vividly. He knew her emotions were raw- genuine and her words rang the truth. He knew that she was truly sorry and that she had been tormented about everything she had done and til this day, still blames herself for the semi-severed bond of him and Ren.

'Be careful, Andou.' Ren's voice echoed through his thoughts, causing Andou to rub his forehead irritatedly. _'I ALREADY know that!' _He thought agitatedly to himself but the anger quickly simmered down to helplessness. He still carried his memories with Mao, that's something no one can take away since he did love her. Feelings that were so strong, he could've sworn he felt his heart being ripped out of his chest the day he saw her and Ren in that classroom. He smiled to himself hopelessly, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~

"Andou-kun!" Andou's vision started to focus at the figure waving infront of him brought him back crashing down to reality. His eyes widened as Kinoshita's figure registered to him. It was already lunch time and the girl had been trying to get his attention. Kinoshita stood infront of Andou while Ren towered over the two of them, a concerned look plastered on both of their faces as they stared at his face.

"Da... Daijoubu desu ka, Andou-kun?" Ninako asked, her eyebrows knotted with concern.

"Ah... hai." Andou replied, rubbing the side of his head, causing his hair to ruffle by the movement of his fingertips. "Gomen, I just didn't get enough sleep last night so I'm a little tired I guess, haha!" He continued, reassuring her that he was fine. His eyes shifted towards Ren, noticing that he too had been looking at him, studying his face.

"W-what?" Takumi stood up abruptly, causing his desk to clutter at his sudden eyeswidened for a second then he waved his hand nonchalantly before brushing past the two. "It's nothing, okay? Stop making those scary faces like a stalker couple." He said dismissively as he made his way towards the door.

"Ninako-chan~ Let's go to lunch!" Tsukasa, one of Ninako's friends called out to her, waving her over.

"She might want to eat lunch with Ren you know?" Sayuri, a beautiful girl that stood out from the group, noted.

"Ehhh? No way, no way! We wanna spend time with Ninako too~!" Tsukasa whined out loud, causing a commotion which was followed shortly by laughter.

Ninako turned to look at Ren only to realize that he had already been looking at her. Ichinose reached out, placing a hand over her head, ruffling hair hair softly. "Go ahead and have fun with your friends." His voice reflected a low tone but his face had a small but genuine smile that was reassuring to his girlfriend. "I'll go see what's up with Andou. I'll see you in class."

"Un!" Ninako nodded cheerfully, blush appearing on her cheeks as she savored the warm feeling of his hand before heading off with her friends. By this time, Andou was already gone but Ichinose had an idea of where he could be.

Sighing to himself, Ren placed both hands in his pocket as he made his way out of the classroom.

~O~oOo~OoO~oOo~OoO~oOo~O~


	3. CH III: Use Me

Chapter III: Use Me

"I'm dirty, but why is it that I don't regret how I chose to live my life?"

Staring out towards the distant horizon, Sugimoto Mao allowed her hands to dangle freely over the fence that surrounded the roof of Building B. A swift gust of air breezed through her blue-black toned hair, swaying its thin strands a bit before finally settling back to it's original form, framing against around her pale cheeks. Her pale brown eyes stared out emptily into the city that served as the backdrop of the scenery. The door slowly creaked open, catching her attention as she shifted her gaze away from the view to the figure standing a few feet away from her - Andou Takumi. His eyes met her calm features, his eyes opened wider in shock.

"Oh..." Takumi began, averting his eyes from the girl as he turned away, preparing to take his leave. "... I didn't know there was someone here already." His usual cold demeanor towards Mao resounding through his voice.

"I was waiting for you." Mao replied evenly, causing him to stop on his tracks. He turned his head over his shoulder to look at her as she stood there with both hands tucked behind her. It was always hard to figure out what she was thinking, even throughout their relationship he struggled to figure out what was on her mind. In a way, she was A LOT like Ren - this thought made him chuckle inside as he realized that his relationship with him was a lot like his relationship with Mao and how similar they were - it's no wonder she fell in love with Ren. They both piss off Takumi but at the same time he can't completely not care about them either. As the thought crossed his mind, he found himself shocked at the sheer realization that he had just admitted to himself that he does indeed still care about Sugimoto.

"Takumi...?" Mao's voice rung through his thoughts as he became aware that he had been staring at her with widened eyes. He looked away as he brought his right hand over his lip, letting out an awkward cough to clear his throat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andou muttered irritatedly though his actions completely betrayed his words as he took a step into the rooftop, slightly closing the door behind him. Another soft breeze blew through, playfully running through his blonde hair, causing the boy to bring his right hand to brush the pesky strands away from his face.

"You always enjoyed being alone on the rooftop whenever you're upset."

"Don't talk as if you know everything about me!"

"Am I mistaken then?"

"..." He glared at the girl as a slight hint of red tint crept on the sides of his cheeks. He didn't quite know how to reply to her question. While it is true that he has a lot of things on his mind - what with him still being bothered by the fact that Ren and Ninako are now dating each other - admitting this woman was right would only make him feel worse.

Sensing Takumi's frustration, Mao turned away, looking to the side as her gaze dropped down to the field below. There were a few students playing soccer, their laughter can be heard faintly from a distance. "Maybe you should get a hobby." She said, cutting off the silence and tension between them.

Andou's expression lightened as he caught sight of her frame. Sugimoto looked so much slender than before - almost frail-like. She was also taller than when they were dating. He remembered being able to tower over her when he would pin her against the wall and- "Shut up." He mumbled in reply as he closed his eyes, tucking both hands behind his head as he walked over to her, setting himself a few ways away from Mao. "Why would I waste my time with sports, it'll take away from my relaxation time."

"Relaxation time meaning being with girls, right?" Mao cut in, causing Andou to turn to face her only to realize she was leaning towards his way, looking up to him with her composed features.

"So what? It's none of your business." Takumi looked away, turning his attention back towards the students down below. Though he had not seen anyone and rejected girls that have come onto him ever since Ninako and Ren got together, he's not about to admit that he's been so depressed that he completely stopped fooling around. Somehow he knew that admitting it out loud would make him feel even more pathetic.

"It _could_ be my business." Andou looked over to Mao only to realize she was standing firmly on her feet, facing him.

Placing his left hand against the railing, Andou turned to face the girl, locking his eyes with hers. "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Use me."


End file.
